2007 Minerals Yearbook

BULGARIA

U.S. Department of the Interior July 2010 U.S. Geological Survey Th e Mi n e r a l In d u s t r y o f Bu l g a r i a By Mark Brininstool

Bulgaria’s mineral industry included mine output of ferrous refined zinc (4.9%), and gold (3.8%). Decreases in production and nonferrous metals, mineral fuels (mainly ), and such were seen for silver (15.4%), lead content of ore (14.3%), industrial minerals as clays, gypsum, and rock salt. Additionally, zinc content of concentrate (9.6%), lead concentrate (7.8%), the metallurgical sector smelted and refined copper, gold, iron pig iron (6.8%), and crude steel (3.5%). Significant increases and steel, lead, silver, and zinc. Cement, dimension stone, and in industrial mineral production were reported for silica sand other construction materials also were produced. On a world (120.4%), sand and gravel (14.7%), and crude gypsum (8.3%). scale, however, Bulgaria’s mineral industry was small and Bentonite production decreased by 26.1%. Total coal production mainly of regional importance. On January 1, 2007, Bulgaria increased by 11.1% and natural gas production decreased by joined the (EU). 43.2% compared with production in 2006.

Minerals in the National Economy Outlook

In 2007, Bulgaria’s GDP increased by about 6.2% compared Bulgaria’s membership in the EU is expected to result in with the country’s GDP in 2006. The total value of industrial the modernization and improvement of industrial facilities as production increased by 12.7% in 2007 and accounted for the country works to reach EU standards for environmental about 26.5% of the GDP. In terms of output value, mining and protection and to attract foreign investment. The development of quarrying of mineral fuels increased by 3.8%, whereas the the industrial sector and expected benefits of EU membership, mining and quarrying of metals and industrial minerals decreased such as greater access to European markets, could result in a by 1.1%. Mining and quarrying activities made up 4.4% of the general increase in mineral production and exploration activity. value of industrial production. The value of the manufacture of industrial minerals increased by 10.7% compared with that of References Cited 2006, and the manufacture of basic metals and metal products increased by 8.2% (National Statistical Institute of the Republic National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria, 2008a, Gross domestic of Bulgaria, 2008a; 2008b, p. 114-115). product—Fourth quarter of 2007 and 2007: , Bulgaria, National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria. (Accessed March 26, 2009, via http://www.nsi.bg/SiteMap_e/SiteMap.htm.) Production National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria, 2008b, Statistical reference book of the Republic of Bulgaria 2008: Sofia, Bulgaria, National Within the metals sector, production increases were seen for Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria, 193 p. cadmium (26.4%), refined lead (14.4%), refined copper (6.7%),

Bulgaria—2007 9.1 TABLE 1 BULGARIA: PRODUCTION OF MINERAL COMMODITIES1

(Metric tons unless otherwise specified)

Commodity2 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 METALS Aluminum, metal, secondary 2,420 r 3,762 r 5,107 r 12,825 r 12,800 e Bismuth, metale thousand metric tons 40 30 35 30 30 Cadmium, metal, smelter 307 356 350 363 r 459 Copper: Ore: Gross weight thousand metric tons 26,415 23,879 24,807 29,572 29,674 Cu contente do. 116 107 3 112 124 r 116 Concentrate: Gross weight do. 458 398 470 502 502 Cu content do. 92 80 94 101 100 Metal, primary and secondary: Smelter 215,300 227,200 r 240,000 r 238,500 r 229,100 Refined, electrolytically 45,900 r 55,300 r 60,500 65,500 69,900 Gold, metal kilograms 2,142 2,431 3,868 3,818 3,964 Iron and steel: Iron ore: Gross weight thousand metric tons 466 83 ------Fe content do. 127 27 ------Iron concentrates do. 248 52 e ------Metal: Pig iron for steelmaking do. 1,386 1,158 1,081 1,147 r 1,069 Ferroalloys, ferrosilicone do. 10 10 10 10 10 Steel, crude do. 2,317 r 2,106 1,969 2,124 r 2,050 e Semimanufactures, rolled do. 1,206 1,391 1,452 1,400 e 1,400 e Lead: Mine output, Pb content 31,000 25,000 32,000 28,000 24,000 e Concentrate: Gross weight 35,200 29,900 31,500 25,387 23,395 Pb content 24,600 e 19,000 e 22,050 r 17,771 r 16,377 Metal, refined, primary and secondary 69,000 r 65,968 r 80,824 r 76,028 r 86,956 Manganese ore: Gross weight 4,000 28,000 39,000 20,000 28,000 Mn contente 1,100 7,600 10,900 5,600 7,840 Silver, metale 60 r 45 r 55 r 65 r 55 Tin, metale 10 10 10 10 10 Uranium oxide, U contente 600 600 600 600 NA Zinc: Mine output, Zn contente 31,000 19,000 22,000 17,000 16,000 Concentrate: Gross weight 26,000 29,900 33,700 25,917 23,474 Zn contente 18,800 15,500 17,500 13,500 12,200 Metal, refined, primary and secondary 86,800 102,110 r 95,077 r 95,341 r 99,992 INDUSTRIAL MINERALS Asbestos, fiber, all gradese 300 237 ------Barite ore, run-of-minee 91,200 r 75,400 r ------Cement, hydraulic thousand metric tons 2,406 r 2,939 r 3,618 r 4,093 r 4,100 e Clays: Bentonite do. 146 225 181 134 r 99 Kaolin, raw do. 1,137 1,291 1,381 1,658 1,631 Refractory do. 40 30 30 15 15 e Feldspar do. 35 r, e 87 r 73 r 93 r 93 e Fluorspare do. 2 2 2 2 2 Gypsum and anhydrite: Crude do. 168 176 188 216 234 Calcinede do. 50 60 65 75 75 See footnotes at end of table.

9.2 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARbook—2007 TABLE 1—Continued BULGARIA: PRODUCTION OF MINERAL COMMODITIES1

(Metric tons unless otherwise specified)

Commodity2 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 INDUSTRIAL MINERALS—Continued Lime, industrial thousand metric tons 1,246 r 1,289 r 1,352 r 1,409 r 1,500 e Limestone and dolomite do. 3,500 e 3,500 e 3,265 3,340 3,335 Nitrogen, N content of ammonia do. 321 320 320 309 310 e Perlite do. 17 8 15 5 14 Pyrites, gross weighte do. 150 150 150 150 150 Salt, all types do. 1,882 1,900 1,900 2,000 2,000 Sand and gravel thousand cubic meters 2,098 3,333 3,628 4,293 4,925 Silica, quartz sand thousand metric tons 412 545 583 250 551 Sodium carbonate, calcinede do. 800 800 800 800 800 Sulfur:e S content of pyrites 30,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 Byproduct 289,000 301,000 300,000 300,000 300,000 Total 319,000 326,000 325,000 325,000 325,000 Sulfuric acid 891,600 r 976,500 r 1,020,000 r 1,009,500 r 1,010,000 e Zeolitee 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,000 MINERAL FUELS AND RELATED MATERIALS Coal, marketable: Anthracite thousand metric tons 9 ------Bituminous do. 44 170 96 52 18 Brown do. 3,044 3,071 2,620 2,557 2,834 do. 24,597 23,385 22,193 22,750 25,325 Total do. 27,694 26,626 24,909 25,359 28,177 Cokee do. 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 Natural gas, marketed million cubic meters 11 333 537 519 295 Petroleum: Crude, reported thousand metric tons 27 30 27 25 24 Refinery productse thousand 42-gallon barrels 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 eEstimated; estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown. rRevised. do. Ditto. NA Not available. -- Zero. 1Table includes data available through March 31, 2009. 2In addition to the commodities listed, chromite, magnesite, palladium, platinum, tellurium, uranium, and a variety of crude construction materials (common clays, dimension stone, and crushed stone) are produced, but available information is inadequate to make reliable estimates of output. 3Reported figure.

Bulgaria—2007 9.3 TABLE 2 BULGARIA: STRUCTURE OF THE MINERAL INDUSTRY IN 2007

(Thousand metric tons unless otherwise specified)

Annual Commodity Major operating companies Location of main facilities capacity Bentonite, mine output S&B Industrial Minerals A.D. Kardzali 280. Cadmium KCM S.A. 320. Do. Lead and Zinc Complex Plc. (LZC) Kurdjali 150. Cement Reka Devnia Devnia 1,825. Do. Titan Zlatna Panega Panega 1,300. Do. Other companies Temelkovo, Dimitrovgrad, , and Beli 1,590. Izvor Coal: Bituminous Economic Mining and Power Combine Balkan coal basin in central Bulgaria, 445. (SMEK) Balkanbass northwest of Silven Brown G. Dimitrov coal basin, southwest of Sofia 4,000. Do. Other companies Bobov Dol and in western Bulgaria 3,100. Lignite SMEK East Maritsa East Maritsa coal basin near Zagora 25,000. Do. Other companies Marbas, Pernik, and Bobov Dol coal basins 5,300. Copper: Concentrate, Cu content Asarel-Medet AD Panagurishte, Pazardzhik District 55. Do. Dundee Precious Metals Inc. Chelopech 15. Do. Bradtze Malko Turnovo 2. Do. Elatsite-Med Ltd. Elatsite 40. Do. Rosen , near the Black Sea 1. Do. Tsar Asen Srednogorie, Sofia District 2. Do. Burgaskii Mines Ltd., Zidorovo Burgas, near the Black Sea 0.5. Metal: Smelter Cumerio Med S.A. Pirdop 275. Refined do. do. 70. Iron ore Kremikovtzi A.D. Kremikovtzi 2,000. Kaolin, mine output Kaolin AD Senovo, Rousse District 250. Lead-zinc: Concentrate, Pb-Zn content Gorubso Co. Erma Reka, Kurdjali, and Laki, all in 59 lead, Madan area near Greek border 47 zinc. Do. Madzharovo Ltd. Near Plovdiv 3 lead, 2 zinc. Do. Ltd. Osogovo Mountains, western Bulgaria 3 lead, 2 zinc. Do. Ustrem Ltd. Near Thundza River, eastern Bulgaria 3.5 lead, 0.8 zinc. Do. Rudmetal JSC Rudozem 3 lead, 2 zinc. Metal: Pb, refined KCM S.A. Plovdiv 65. Do. Lead and Zinc Complex Plc. (LZC) Kurdjali 33. Zn, smelter KCM S.A. Plovdiv 60. Do. Lead and Zinc Complex, Plc. (LZC) Kurdjali 33 Manganese ore Mangan Ltd. (Obroschishte) Varna District 50. Natural gas million cubic meters Ministry of Power Supply Chiren field, in northwest Bulgaria 550. Perlite, mine output S&B Industrial Minerals A.D. Kardzali 30. Petroleum: Crude do. do. (1) Refined 42-gallon Economic Trust for Petroleum Products Refineries in Burgas, Pleven, and Ruse 260,000. barrels per day Silver KCM S.A. Plovdiv 100. Steel, crude Kremikovtzi A.D. Near Sofia 2,300. Do. Stomana Industry S.A. (Sidenor, 90%) Pernik 1,400. Zeolite, mine output S&B Industrial Minerals A.D. Kardzali 15. Do., do. Ditto 1Insignificant capacity.

9.4 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARbook—2007